Three goals in nine minutes puts the Hammerheads one step closer to playoffs

Wilmington, NC - Despite taking an early lead with a goal scored by Jose Angulo, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds fell to the Wilmington Hammerheads 1-4 Wednesday night at Legion Stadium. Going into the second half tied at one, the Hammerheads tallied three more goals in the final 15 minutes of the match to ensure the victory against the Riverhounds and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

The Riverhounds put pressure on the Hammerheads in the 13th minute after forward Jose Angulo scored the first goal of the night with an assist by Richard Costanzo. The Hammerheads equalized the score in the 32nd minute off a high cross from Shawn Nicklaw into the penalty area for Kyle Greig to put a header into the top corner of the net.

A breakaway by Riverhound’s Stefan Lundberg in stoppage time was an attempt to increase the score by one, but Hammerhead’s Tom Parratt blocked him off in the box allowing for Hammerheads goalkeeper Philip Tuttle to gain control of the ball.

Hammerheads’s Mickael Oliveira carried over the intensity from the first half into the first five minutes following halftime with a long shot over the crossbar. It was the 76th minute that the Hammerheads took their first lead of the night when Cody Arnoux passed to Steven Perry open in the middle of penalty area for the shot, giving him his first goal of the year.

Shortly thereafter, Hammerhead’s Bryce Taylor also recorded his first goal of the regular season off an assist by Gareth Evans in the 82nd minute. Three minutes later, Steven Perry returned the favor to teammate Cody Arnoux after playing a small cross into the front of the net for Arnoux to bypass Pittsburgh goalkeeper Gregory Blum.

The Riverhounds return to Highmark Stadium on Saturday for their home finale against the 2013 USL PRO Regular Season Champions the Richmond Kickers. The game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be played in front of a SOLD OUT crowd.

Despite the loss, the Riverhounds will still move onto playoffs, a place earned Sunday after the Club defeated VSI Tampa Bay 3-2 at Highmark Stadium.

In order to secure the final spot in playoffs, the Hammerheads must take a victory against Antigua with the Harrisburg City Islanders defeating or taking a draw with the Dayton Dutch Lions on Saturday. If both the Hammerheads and the Dutch Lions claim victories on Saturday, the Dutch Lions will move into the eighth position as well as final playoff spot by a difference of one point in the league standings over the Hammerheads.